Low pressure carbon snow injector

Abstract

An equipment for making CO2 snow, ready to be injected in an installation using such a snow, notably an installation of the food industry, equipment comprising a snow horn and a J-Tube.

1 . A device for making CO 2  snow, ready to for being injected into food industry equipment for use thereof, comprising:
 a calibrated orifice adapted to receive a flow of liquid carbon dioxide and to transform part of said flow of liquid carbon dioxide into a diphasic mixture of gaseous and solid carbon dioxide, said calibrated orifice being installed at an inlet of said device;   a J-Tube, said calibrated orifice being installed at an inlet of the J-tube, the J-Tube being able to separate the diphasic mixture produced into a solid phase directed to an outer portion of said J-Tube and a gaseous phase directed to an inner portion of said J-Tube;   a transition plate, wherein an end of the J-Tube fits into the plate, a downstream end of the plate being in in gas connection with a main pipe adapted to carry the solid phase and a secondary pipe adapted to carry the gaseous phase;   a snow horn, said main pipe being connected tangentially to a top of the snow horn; and   a Venturi system installed on a top of the snow horn, wherein said secondary pipe is connected to the Venturi system such that a speed of fluid harnessed inside the Venturi system generates a reduction in pressure inside the snow horn, thereby evacuating the gaseous phase inside the horn, wherein each of a part of the gaseous phase exits the J-tube used as the fluid harnessed inside the Venturi system for achieving the reduction of pressure and a part of the gaseous phase intercepted by the Venturi system is conveyed outside of the equipment.   
     
     
         2 . The device of  claim 1 , further comprising a perforated gas extraction pipe installed inside the snow horn and being connected to the Venturi system to allow the gaseous phase formed inside the horn to be evacuated up along an entire length of the snow horn. 
     
     
         3 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein said transition plate comprises:
 a left plate which is fixed and connected to an end of the J-Tube; and   a right plate which is movable up and down with respect to the left plate, the right plate being in gas connection with said main and secondary pipes.